Sunday, September 11, 2016

Trump Criticizes U.S. Foreign Policy and Defends Putin on Russian TV

Republican presidential nominee telephoned into program on RT network, which has emerged as Kremlin’s propaganda tool

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump criticized more than a decade of U.S. foreign policy and cast doubt on assertions that the Kremlin is attempting to meddle in the U.S. elections during a 10-minute interview broadcast on a television network controlled by the Russian government.

The RT America interview was conducted by the veteran radio and TV personality Larry King. Mr. King prefaced the interview by saying he and Mr. Trump “go back well over 30 years, I consider him a good friend.” Though Mr. King was shown live on the RT America television screen, Mr. Trump had telephoned into the program.

Mr. Trump spent much of the interview bemoaning the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the aftermath, saying the U.S. had spent “$6 trillion on that war” and that “we’re in far worse shape than if we had never gone over there.”